by Marissa Glover fraidy cat, fraidy cat who’s been running home to mommy who’s been running fraidy, fraidy cat simon says you’ve been crying, simon says are those tears, cry baby baby, baby nanny nanny boo boo who’s been running who ring around the rosy pockets full of poesy stand still while we run Read More
Tag: poetry
Firm
by Agampreet Kalra They tell me To be an Elephant. “Elephants are graceful and quiet” They stride in a walk, Even when barks pin them – Lithesome even when them mutts follow. I look at them. They have darkness in the underskin of their eyes. Muggy, Torrid. Heads bowed. Resilient. They cry because they can’t shout. They have a reputation Read More
Homage to My Middle-Aged Black Body
by Christine Taylor Because most of the time I hate this body stiff hip flexors, cracking knees sore, cystic breasts rolls and stretch marks that appear in mirrored angles I marvel when on the sidewalk escorting at the women’s clinic I swell by how completely I love this body the brownness of it its animal-like awareness, its speed getting to Read More
Meditations
On the amount of prayer needed to maintain a pregnancy by Elisabeth Horan I never got down on my knees Begged forgiveness for my sin Never held the carpet close – Its fibers touching my chin. I should have begged specifically: God, let me keep this one inside Allow it haven in my womb – Not leave it for a Read More
Ele
by Agampreet Kalra An elephant clogged inside my skull Makes sound each time I breathe There I put my foot forth And here a trumpet rings out I sleep, I sleep at night. But an ant walks in through the cave – Stay wake-broiling, Bubbling, Cold stone blood, Itching the Ele. When I smile in the sunshine The purple bruised Read More
New Year’s Submission Wishes
A tumbling wave of fireworks, popping champagne corks, and glitter approaches. Soon, 2019 will sweep in, propelling us toward future shores. So while you prepare to body surf that beast, we hope you’ll resolve to submit some work to Elephants Never. To help, we present our list of New Year’s submission wishes. Surf’s up! New Year’s Submission Wishes Hopeful flash Read More
Occupational Poetry
by Michael McGill Enjoy this series of five short poems by Michael McGill that illuminate our everyday occupations. ‘Occupational Poetry’ will run first on Twitter (@AnElephantNever), and we will add each poem here as it runs. The chocolatier. Great chocolate should taste like climbing warm rocks, naked. Or returning home; a woollen throw on a wooden chair. The tobacconist. I Read More
In Pilates Class
by Ray Ball, PhD Sometimeswe do a movecalled The Elephant.Legs splayed evoking the memoryof the animal’s shape,its proboscis reaching.The muscle memoryof the hips that storeso much emotionthat never forgetstretched tau(gh)tologically.I read somewherethat elephants mourntheir dead. If onlymourning could beclear and simple,brash like the trumpetingof a pachyderm.If only what I buriedstayed under the earth,but the elephant digs it up, the fragile Read More
Facing the other way
by David Hanlon I feel ashamed of how little I know about current events, I know the basics, scratch the surface, but mostly avoid knowledge of pain so staggering, so global, it’s tough to hold the weight of, but to hold the pain itself,I can’t even begin to imagine— and there it is, shame, and so, I delve into the Read More